From Monday 2 May, weekday editions of the Daily Mirror will increase by 5p to £1, with the Saturday edition increasing from £1.60 to £1.70. In Scotland, weekday editions will go up to £1.10. The same increases of 5p and 10p apply to the Daily Star.

However, in a blow to independent retailers who sell the Daily Mirror, the move means their profit margins will shrink from 20% to 19.5% for weekday editions and from 20% to 19% on Saturdays. Profit margins on sales of the Daily Star will also go down from 20% to 19% on all editions, except Sundays.

The Fed’s national president, Narinder Randhawa, said: “This decision by Reach lets down the very people who have kept the news trade going for many years and particularly during the Covid pandemic.

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“Reach previously included pro rata terms following price increases to the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, while it also advised that all its regional papers would follow suit. It therefore goes against the grain to now say the same conditions do not apply to its national daily titles.”

He added: “While we understand that publishers have to raise cover prices to counteract increases in the cost of raw materials, such as paper and aluminium, it is unfair to ask retailers to absorb these costs at their expense.”

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